firmament

noun

fir·​ma·​ment ˈfər-mə-mənt 

1

: the vault or arch of the sky : heavens

Stars twinkled in the firmament.

2

obsolete : basis

3

: the field or sphere of an interest or activity

the international fashion firmament

She's a rising star in the city's artistic firmament.

firmamental

ˌfər-mə-ˈmen-tᵊl 

adjective

Synonyms

• blue
• heaven(s)
• high
• sky
• welkin

Examples of firmament in a Sentence

meteors flashing across the firmament

the stars in the firmament twinkled ever so brightly

Recent Examples on the Web

Legitimacy was the wild card, the disrupter, the third sun in the Stalinist Cold War firmament. —John Lewis Gaddis, Foreign Affairs, 7 June 2024

Marvel’s other innovations have also lodged themselves firmly in the pop culture firmament. —Vox Staff, Vox, 3 June 2024

But not everyone in the state’s political firmament has pounced. —Michael Gartland, New York Daily News, 7 May 2024

The Nashville firmament has long been hostile to outsiders and Black country stars, despite the long, rich history of Black country music. —Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 29 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin & Latin; Late Latin firmamentum, from Latin, support, from firmare

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

firmament

noun

fir·​ma·​ment ˈfər-mə-mənt 

: the arch of the sky : heavens